You can be sure of sizzling shapeshifters on the grill when the Mighty Thor hammers his own path into the Secret Invasion and the lightning starts frying…err, flying! The action starts in SECRET INVASION: THOR #1, by writer Matt Fraction and newly-Marvel exclusive artist Doug Braithwaite, hitting shelves on August 8!
Although as Fraction tells it, it might be a cake walk for the green-skinned bad guys to erase a certain pantheon of deities.
"The Skrulls send elite troops to wipe out Asgard and keep Thor and the Asgardians off the board during their invasion of Earth," he explains. "They go after Broxton, [Oklahoma]—the town Asgard is near—as a way of making the gods fight their war on two fronts.
"And Thor isn't on the battlefield to lead the fight."
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of SECRET INVASION: THOR involves the momentous return of a beloved fan-favorite character: Beta Ray Bill. A noble alien who proved worth of wielding Thor's very own power and his own hammer, Stormbreaker, Bill debuted in 1983's THOR #337 and soon took a place in the hearts of Thor fans everywhere.
Still as powerful as an Asgardian, the infamous alien warrior who Fraction describes as "looking like Thor, if Thor was a horse," figures squarely into the limited series' drama— for better or worse.
"The Skrulls fire Bill at Asgard like a missile, and his impact is enormously destructive," Fraction says. "It's a warning. They could do this to Bill. The Asgardians are next.
"Oh, and Bill falls without Stormbreaker. So the Skrulls have Stormbreaker. Bad news."
Next to Thor's own Uru hammer Mjolnir, Stormbreaker exists as one of the Marvel Universe's most powerful pounding devices, having been gifted to Bill by Odin himself.
Did we also mention that since the last time we saw Beta Ray Bill he's spent his days being tortured by the Skrulls?
Yep, definitely hammer time for Thor, who also made his presence felt in SECRET INVASION #4 earlier this month.
"[The story] fills in the blanks of Thor's motivations for turning his attention from Asgard and Broxton to the world at large—which means standing shoulder to shoulder with some folks he's got...issues...with," notes Fraction. "Thor wanted to resurrect Asgard close to mortal man, so man and the gods could intermingle and rediscover one another—and now by doing this he's made a target of innocents. He's scrambling to keep his people together, to fight an insurmountable attack army, and to not be inadvertently responsible for any human collateral damage."
The scale of the Invasion's threat-level to Thor clocks in as "huge", according to the writer, and no one should doubt that events of SECRET INVASION: THOR stand as a distinct challenge to everyone's favorite Thunder God.
"The Skrulls are coming to kill our gods and replace them with their own," warns Fraction of the danger. "Humans can believe, humans can be saved—even human heroes, if they choose. But gods? Actual gods? No room for them post-Invasion. The Skrulls are coming to obliterate Asgard from human memory.
"So, y'know. It's pretty big."
Catch all the Asgardian angst and Skrullian sabotage in SECRET INVASION: THOR #1, on sale August 6! And for more on Beta Ray Bill, pay a visit to Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited.
Redy1 superhero Joined: 01.01.1970 Posts: 1257
The new gods
Posted: 07.17.2008 6:42pm
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Its very interestin the plot, a classic take over in history was to weaken the beleifs of the people, to change the gods the respected for new ones, if you win in the mind you win the battle. "Embrase change".
And for the look on Thors face this battle is going to be great.
claudio pahl hero Joined: 08.25.2006 Posts: 960
Posted: 07.17.2008 11:19pm
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Matt knows how to write Thor and this series will rock and Braithwaite´s art is amazing. I can´t miss it.
hbk82287 novice Joined: 08.25.2006 Posts: 7
OMG RETURN OF BETA!!!
Posted: 07.18.2008 3:34am
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I can't wait for the return of Beta Ray Bill. i found myself earlier re reading the Omega flight 1-5 issues, and all i could think is i wish Beta would come back. (great name for my toons on WoW too) ^_^
SPNWareZ hero Joined: 12.18.2007 Posts: 755
Posted: 07.19.2008 6:59am
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This looks gr8. _________________ With Great Power Comes ....
Marvel.
The gr8test Family of Heroes under one roof: The Marvel Universe.
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